


Just You, Me, And The Hitmen After Our Lives

by Ghostfries



Category: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Genre: Canon-Typical Death, Everyone is playing 4D chess while Lynne is playing checkers, F/F, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27518335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostfries/pseuds/Ghostfries
Summary: Lynne drives home from a case one night. It's a wonderful evening.The assassins tasked with eliminating her completely disagree.
Relationships: Lynne/Memry (Ghost Trick)
Kudos: 18





	Just You, Me, And The Hitmen After Our Lives

**Author's Note:**

> hello again it is I, and I've fallen into niche fandom rarepair hell!

"Shit. I lost track of the target."

Two similar-looking blue-skinned men were driving down a country road late in the evening, surrounded by nothing but dusty desert spanning for miles. Nobody ever travelled here without a very good reason, and that was why they'd chosen this opportunity to close in on their prey.

Or at least, that was how it was supposed to be. But today of all days, some random civilian decided to get in their way.

One squinted into the distance, leaning forward over the dashboard. "I can't see her car. That damn truck is obscuring my vision."

The other leaned back and sighed. "Jeego, even if the truck wasn't there, you still wouldn't be able to see it."

"Screw you, four-eyes! At least I can walk in a straight line without glasses!"

Tengo let out a deeper, more dramatic sigh. He never liked working with Jeego at the best of times, and this situation was about as far from 'the best' as possible. The heat certainly wasn't helping the tension between the two, making the air staunch and stodgy. "Calm down. She'll have to pull over at some point."

"And what if she notices we've been following her without a single detour? What then, genius?" Jeego hissed as he opened the glovebox, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and chugging.

"That's why I let that truck go first at the outlet. She can't see us, either," replied Tengo. "And no, you can't open the window."

"Why not?" grumbled Jeego, who was no longer surprised at his partner's ability to predict his every banal complaint.

"You know why. Someone's been feeding her information about us. We can't take even the smallest chance that she'll catch wind of our plan."

It was true - previously, all attempts to assassinate the red-haired woman ended in failure. Improbable, catastrophic failure, which typically resulted in the assailants being wounded or getting stuck somewhere before they could lay a finger on her. The boss came to the conclusion there was someone on the inside, leaking information, allowing her to escape every hazard. Everyone in the organization was subjected to extreme interrogation, but no mole was ever found.

Initially, she was only a thorn in their side as a detective, slated to be disposed of due to her prying, but certain developments led to the organization focusing on her specifically.

Guns would misfire, weapons would drop from hands, the universe itself seemed to be conspiring to ensure her survival. Once, a frisbee went whizzing through the air past the woman at _just_ the right velocity and angle to shield her from a bullet. It became obvious the occurences were centered around the target - Lynne. The theory changed from spies to psychic powers. It got to the point most members of the organization wanted nothing to do with hunting her.

Not Tengo, though. He wanted that promotion to division leader. And Jeego? He was just along for the ride.

"You don't buy into that psychic crap, do ya?" Jeego asked, reminding Tengo that (however unfortunately) he was there.

The other scoffed. "Of course not. It makes no sense. These so-called powers of hers are nothing but coincidence."

Jeego frowned. "Hypothetically, though-"

"If she really does have some kind of ability," interrupted Tengo, "We just have to do what the boss told us. Kill, and if that fails, recruit. If worst comes to worst, we shoot her with that flashy gun of yours. There's no uncertainty with a shotgun."

"Personally, I'd prefer to kill her outright." Jeego took another swig. "Why can't we do that?"

"For the millionth time... we'll be at a gas station. There might be an attendant, or someone might drive in to get some fuel. That's why we're making it look like an accident." Tengo muttered. He cast a glance to the backseat, where a golden shotgun and sniper rifle lay abandoned, alongside a row of cartons filled with liquid - and more randomly, a cello case.

Jeego shrugged and wiped his mouth. "As long as you know what you're doing. I don't want to end up like Beauty and Dandy."

"No chance. They were idiots." Tengo narrowed his eyes. Jeego nodded lazily before taking another slug and chucking the empty bottle back into the glovebox. The truck in front had no intention of moving, and Tengo had to stop Jeego from messing with the side reflectors to get a better view. Leaning out the window behind a large vehicle full of loose goods wasn't such a good idea, psychic influence or not.

"Look. She's run out. That's her car pulling into the place up ahead." Jeego pointed at the gas station, which Tengo was perfectly capable of seeing for himself, _unlike a certain someone._

"Alright. Remember your orders." Tengo said with a stern scowl. "We have to make it look like an accident. And with any luck, she'll be the one to facilitate her own- Tch." He clicked his tongue.

"What's wrong?"

"There's someone in that mini-mart." muttered Tengo. And there was: one lonely worker standing idly behind the counter. "But that can't be. I already checked the employee schedules for every station for miles. Nobody's supposed to be here this late."

"Nothing we can do about it. We have to pull in too." Jeego murmured, substantially less worried about the new complication than his companion. After all, if Tengo wasn't one step ahead, he wouldn't be One-Step-Ahead Tengo. But Jeego had no status to maintain. Everyone knew his aim was crappy to begin with.

Tengo cursed to himself as their car followed Lynne's into the station, finally shaking off the truck. No attendants, as predicted - just one cashier who was surely zoning out in boredom. If it came down to it, she wouldn't be a problem. Worst case scenario, they'd have to take her as collateral, but that was nothing new. He'd done it many a time before.

"Looks like she's going shopping." Jeego said. "Alright, this is my chance."

Tengo reached back and thrust the cello case at him. "Take this just in case."

Jeego shrugged it onto his back. "Heavy."

"What did you expect when you bought a shotgun made of solid gold, you moron?"

"Shut up, I'm going." Jeego snatched the carton from the backseat and kicked the door open. He was out in a jiffy, ready to put the plan into action.

If the girl really did have powers, Tengo thought, she'd kill Jeego first.

* * *

Lynne entered the mini-mart with a spring in her step. She was on her way home after a case required her to leave town, and she was dying for some food. She perused the aisles, humming to herself. A voice suddenly rang out through the bleakly lit building.

"Well, look who it is. Fancy meeting you here."

A woman in an orange uniform stood before her, wearing a cap with the company logo emblazoned front and center. Her curly hair was a distinctive ashy blue, and Lynne was sure she'd seen those freckles somewhere before...

"You're...!" She gasped.

"That's right, remember me now?" The cashier asked smugly, flipping her fluffy hair.

"You're the... you're..." Lynne faltered. "Who are you again?"

A vein popped on the woman's forehead as she grabbed Lynne's sleeve and hauled her closer. "It's Memry! _Detective_ Memry! We were in the same class for training recruits!"

"A-Alright, you don't have to get so upset about it!" Lynne shouted, pulling away.

Memry made a frantic 'shhh' gesture. "Lower your voice! I'm supposed to be undercover right now."

"Undercover? All the way out here?" asked a surprised Lynne.

"I... I'm not at liberty to discuss the specifics." Memry whispered. "The most I can tell you is I'm here on an important job."

Lynne blinked. "Okay..."

"Now, are you going to buy something or not?"

"O-Oh! Yes! Absolutely!" Lynne hurriedly returned to checking the aisles for snacks. It wasn't long until home, but she might get peckish anyway. She bought a bar of chocolate which Memry scanned dutifully, looking every bit like a weary soul who'd worked retail all her life. Maybe this wasn't her first time undercover.

Lynne was on her way out when a phone rang. Upon looking around, she saw a payphone indented into the wall and picked up the receiver. Whoops. Probably should've waited for Memry to take that, but, well, she might not have got there before the caller hung up. It was an honest mistake. Definitely not Lynne being nosy. And even if she was, it was a detective's instinct! What normal person would call a remote gas station at ten in the evening? It was her job to investigate shady things like that!

"Hello?" She asked.

She heard the voice of the last person she expected.

"Lynne, baby, that you?'

"Inspector Cabanela?" Lynne gasped. "Is that you?"

"Who else would it be but meeee, baby?"

Sudden relief flooded her for a reason she wasn't sure of. The solitude of driving for hours must have been getting to her. "Hold on... don't tell me that girl was sent here by you?"

"Sure was," replied Cabanela. "Been a slew of crime on places like this. A bunch of officers have been hurt. You should be veeeery careful too, Lynne."

"Yes, sir," she said. "Do you want me to bring her, or...?"

Cabanela laughed rather raucously. "Nope, s'all good! But while you're here, baby, I got a message to pass on to you."

"A message, from who?" Lynne enquired.

"Jowd." he said. "It makes noooo sense to me, but maybe it'll mean a little something to you. He said, _tell her not to open the glovebox under any circumstances._ "

Lynne was dumbfounded. "The glovebox? What?"

"Beats me."

"Well, now I really want to open it," she said.

"Don't think that's a good idea. He sounded reaaaal serious when he told me that. But you do you, I'm just the messenger," Cabanela responded non-commitally.

"I'm not sure I understand, but... is something going on?"

"Nothin' in particular, baby. Tell Memry I rang, will ya?"

"Okay! Bye then, Inspector!"

Lynne hung up the phone. She was about to go look for Memry when she noticed her voice from behind. She was talking to two men, casually flirting just like she did back in class. Sheesh, on the job, too?!

She decided to talk to her later and refuel the car for now. The car that apparently had something very scandalous in the glovebox...?

"No, Lynne!" She slapped her cheeks. "Detective Jowd said not to look!"

She put the pump in and tried not to think about what it could be, or what was going on with Cabanela, or what Memry's top-secret job was. But dammit, she wanted to know all of those things!

Lynne finished filling up the car and lifted up the bonnet. She could really do with some more brake fluid, too. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. A carton with 'brake fluid' labeled on it. She untwisted the cap and began to pour it into the resevoir. Man, it ran down pretty low.

Alright, was there anything else that needed doing? She still had to pay for it. Oh, and she had to inform Memry about Inspector Cabanela's call. She searched her bag for her wallet as the price flashed up on the screen. There was waaaay too much stuff in there, mostly old snack wrappers and parking tickets. Eventually she found it at the bottom, and was about to pay for the gas. Then there was a shout.

"Move!"

She spun around to see Memry sprinting towards her at breakneck speed. Lynne froze, the urgency in Memry's voice chilling her. Before she knew it, Memry dived into her, arms wrapping around Lynne's waist, and the two rolled a way to the floor.

"Memry," began a shaken Lynne, all too aware of the bruises and the concrete and the scrapes, "What the hell-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a giant explosion sounded out from close by, enveloping her car in a giant ball of flame. All Lynne could do was clutch Memry's back harder, as if huddling closer would save them. Her ears rang, sharp bursts of needle-like pain alternating back and forth.

The pressure from the blast sent them flying into the fuel dispensers, where they collapsed in a heap after impact. All she could hear was the roaring of the fire. She had to get out - get Memry out - but she could barely move. Lynne's vision felt fuzzy, but eventually she saw a pair of shoes approach them from the floor. And then another.

"Drat," said one of the men. "I was really banking on that taking her out. If we kill her now, it won't look like an accident."

"We can always put the bodies on the fire. It'll disfigure them so we might be okay," replied the other. Here they were, right in front of them, talking about how they were going to get away with murder. Their speech was so cold and detached that it struck fear into Lynne, more so than any deranged slasher she'd dealt with. Those people were sick. But these guys, they were entirely sane, and perfectly okay with ending the life of a human being without a second thought.

She'd never dealt with anything like this.

"You... You guys... caused the explosion," she forced her mouth to move.

"Quite a spectacle, wasn't it?" One sneered, and as Lynne looked up, she saw the glint of a golden gun leaning against his shoulder. Not just any gun, a shotgun. "Did you know that mixing brake fluid and chlorine can cause this kind of chemical reaction? We replaced the cartons lying around here with chlorine mixtures, even added a little something extra prepared by the boss man. You're the one who poured it in there, Detective."

"No..." she gasped. "Then that thing earlier was..."

"Yep. We were planning to have you kill yourself, but Freckles here had to interfere. And now... you're unlucky." He cocked his gun. "You could've gone out in blissful ignorance, but now you have to die in fear. Knowing what's coming. You wanna blame someone, blame your little girlfriend."

"Memry," Lynne whispered in her ear. She couldn't tell if she was conscious or not. "Get up... w-we have to get away..."

The limp body in her arms showed no sign of moving. Luckily, they were close enough that Lynne could feel her heartbeat. She wasn't dead... but that could change in a second.

"Jeego, quit messing around and shoot!" The gunman's companion prompted.

"Alright, jeez!" Jeego snapped, pointing the wobbling gun at the two. "Just lemme aim first... and done."

He pulled the trigger and Lynne clenched her eyes shut. She didn't see the gunman shoot, or trip over a nearby ball as he fired. She could only feel Memry's body grow heavier against her, pushed further together from the pressure, searing pain and something wet dripping down her legs.

"You missed, dumbass! I told you to aim for the head!"

"It's fine, isn't it?! She's still dead."

A white-hot pang of terror hit her, and she found herself too scared to open her eyes again. Maybe if she played dead, they'd leave?

Ha, as if.

"Get the other one."

_Memry's dead... they killed her... because she tried to save me..._

_What kind of detective lets her colleagues die for her?_

_And now, it's my turn. A fitting fate for an incompetent officer like me._

Those were the kind of thoughts in her head at that moment.

"No, wait, hold on a second. Remember the orders?"

At that, Lynne opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't. Memry's blood-spattered body was slumped into hers, a hollow crater in her side exposing her innards.

The one with the glasses kneeled down, pulling Lynne's head up by her hair. "If you don't want that to happen to you, you'd better start talking."

"Talking about what?" Lynne asked hoarsely.

"Those so-called powers of yours." He replied. "How is it, that whenever we come after you, luck is always improbably on your side? You stopped a _bullet_ with a _frisbee._ If you have some ability, we want that. Explain, and you might be spared. You could work for us."

Lynne was frozen to the spot. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Still lying, even after someone died for you? That's not very honorable of you."

"I'm telling the truth! I don't know what you're talking about!" Lynne exclaimed. "A-And even if I did have some kind of power, I'd NEVER work with the likes of you!"

"She isn't gonna crack." The other man piped up. "Let's be done with it."

"Alright."

The gun was pointed at her head.

And then... there was an explosion and a scream.

"Move!"

Memry grabbed Lynne and threw the two to the floor where they rolled for a bit, the pressure from the blast sending them flying into the fuel dispensers.

"Memry, what the hell..."

Two shoes. Then, four shoes.

"Drat. I was really banking on that taking her out. If we kill her now, it won't look like an accident."

She couldn't move. She was too hurt and Memry was too heavy while unconscious.

"You guys caused the explosion, didn't you?" It was futile to ask now, but she still did it. There was nothing left to do but pray for some answers before they killed her.

"Quite a spectacle, wasn't it?" said one of the men. He had a shotgun by his shoulder. "Did you know that mixing brake fluid and chlorine can cause this kind of chemical reaction? We replaced the cartons lying around here with chlorine mixtures, even added a little something extra prepared by the boss man. You're the one who poured it in there, Detective."

"No..." Lynne whimpered. "Then that thing earlier was..."

"Yep. We were planning to have you kill yourself, but Freckles here had to interfere. And now... you're unlucky." He cocked his gun. "You could've gone out in blissful ignorance, but now you have to die in fear. Knowing what's coming. You wanna blame someone, blame your little girlfriend."

"Memry," Lynne gently nudged her, "Get up... we have to get away..."

Memry didn't respond, but Lynne could feel her pulsing heartbeat. Good. Not dead. But a sharp voice shocked her out of her worries.

"Jeego, quit messing around and shoot!" the one with the glasses yelled.

Jeego snarled back. "Alright, jeez! Just lemme aim first..."

Lynne could only look on numbly as the barrel of the golden gun descended, aiming to get her in its sights. Her legs twitched, but she couldn't run under the weight of Memry, and she certainly couldn't leave her there.

So this was it. She was going to die in an abandoned gas station in the middle of nowhere for no reason.

What the hell?

Lynne thought she was a pretty good person, all things considered. How was this fair? And what about Memry, what had she done to deserve this? Sure, Lynne didn't remember her at first, but they'd been in the same class! They'd trained together... only to die together.

Then the gun fired. But unbeknownst to Lynne who'd closed her eyes, the gunman hadn't pulled the trigger. It fired as he was taking the gun down from his shoulder, the split-seconds before the barrel was trained on them, and went whizzing above, hitting a trashcan behind and exploding.

"You missed, dumbass! I told you to aim for the head!" Tengo snapped.

"I- It wasn't my fault!" shouted a defensive Jeego. "I'll get them this time!"

Their luck had run out, it seemed. This was it, surely, absolutely for real this time.

And then Jeego tripped over a ball, smashing his face into the ground and trapping the shotgun underneath him. The impact must have moved the trigger, because seconds later there was a bloody mess where his chest once was.

"What the-" Tengo looked just as shocked as Lynne did. "Did that idiot just-"

"What is going on here?" Lynne whispered as she once again shook a drowsy Memry.

And then there was an explosion. And then there was two men with a gun. And then he fired, but he missed and hit a trash can.

And then he tripped over a ball, but somehow, the gun blew up a nearby cello case before the man landed on it.

"...Ouch. That woulda been bad if this thing held more than two rounds." Jeego said, trying and failing to push himself up.

Tengo scoffed over him, rolling his eyes. "Get up."

"I can't." Jeego spat out a not insubstantial amount of blood.

"Pathetic. Give me the shotgun."

"I told ya, I can't move!"

While the two were arguing, Lynne felt Memry twitch against her.

"Do it or I'll kill you as well!"

Memry forced herself to her feet and looked into Lynne's eyes; a plea for her silence. Lynne nodded slightly and kept her mouth shut.

"For crying out loud, why are you always-"

Suddenly, the previously limp Memry was off like a shot. Before the two men could process her consciousness, she kicked the one on the ground out of the way before nabbing his shotgun. She pointed the thing at Tengo without hesitation. The flaming car emphasized her silhouette and steely glare in a way that was... kind of cool, actually.

"You were awake? You bitch..." Tengo was forced to put his hands up.

"Lynne!" She called out as she pulled a pair of handcuffs out of her mini-mart apron and tied the man's hands.

"I-I'm on it!" Lynne rushed forward as well as she could with her injuries, ransacking her jacket pockets to pull out an identical pair. The guy on the ground was no threat without his gun, but it never hurt to be safe. She slapped them onto Jeego with gusto, furious about what the two hitmen had done to them.

No sooner had they accomplished this feat than Memry fell to her knees in agony, and Lynne joined her on the floor soon after. She took in breaths as deep as her lungs would allow, her weak self sinking into the concrete. The men were snapping angrily at each other, but all Lynne could focus on was Memry's profile and the rise and fall of her breath. The girl turned on her side and gave Lynne a weak smile.

"Probably... should put out... the fire..." she panted, "Or the smoke inhalation will..."

"I don't think... I can get up. I... musta broken something," Lynne replied, smarting from the impacts that still shook her bones. "Can you do it?"

"..." Memry's arms trembled as she tried to get up before they collapsed on her. "D-Dammit... there's an extinguisher... in the mart, too..."

"I guess... we've had it, then..." Lynne replied wearily, unable to muster the energy to tear up.

"Yeah..." said Memry quietly, "All... things considered... you're not the worst person to die with."

"Hehe..." Lynne smiled wryly as she stared at the weak lights hanging under the station roof. "We were cool at the end, don't you think?"

"We make a good team..." Memry murmured. "But that explosion wasn't quite... the 'spark' I wanted between us..."

"Even now, you're joking." It was a small comfort. Maybe she would humor her. "Tell you what, if we... if w-we make it out of this by some miracle, let's go on a date."

"S-Should've... asked earlier... you idiot..." Memry said before her eyes fluttered to a close.

* * *

Lynne awoke to white walls and white beds.

It didn't take long to realize she was in a hospital. She looked around, searching for someone who could explain everything. In the bed a little way across from her was Memry, eating what looked like a... bowl of yoghurt.

"M... Memry..."

Her voice sounded like she'd been eating gravel. Come to think of it, she never did eat that chocolate bar from earlier. Wait, that wasn't what mattered.

Memry's eyes widened and she nearly spilt the bowl all over the pristine sheets. "You're awake!"

"How'd we...? Did someone save us?" asked Lynne.

Memry swung her legs over the bed and went over to Lynne's. "Oh, you would not believe the night I had. Listen, I got sh-"

"Well, look who's alive!"

Cabanela waltzed into the room with his usual flair. At least someone was energetic here.

"Inspector!" Lynne gasped.

"I see you've both regaiiiined consciousness. That's a relief," he said. A flash of pink smock alerted Lynne to Detective Jowd's presence behind him.

"Will someone tell me what happened?" Lynne asked yet again.

"That guy with the cap showed up just in time." Cabanela answered. "You two would've been goners if not for Miss Memry's quick thinking, baby."

"He works for you. Don't just call him 'the guy with the cap'," Jowd sighed lightly.

"Oh, you mean Detective Rindge?" asked Memry. "Yeah, I knew he'd come through for us."

"Oh..." Lynne said. "Wait, how did he happen to find us?"

Memry nearly choked on nothing.

"Wasn't no coincidence, baby." Cabanela said flippantly. "We kneeeew they were going to target you tonight, Lynne. We've been watching their movements for a long time. They've tried to go after you before."

"And you didn't warn me?!" She burst out. Everything was starting to make a lot more sense. Cabanela's warning and Memry's secret assignment.

"We wanted our chance to catch them unawares. And if you had known, you would've gone in all guns blazing."

Lynne looked away sheepishly, trying to pretend she wouldn't have done that. "Okay, but... how did you know which gas station to put Memry at? I could have kept going."

"We stationed undercover agents at every stopover on this road," said Jowd. "Of course, I was opposed to using you as bait, but..."

"Jowd here agreed under one condition," Cabanela leaned his elbow on the larger man. "The opportunity to put something in your car before you left on this first case."

Jowd shot him that 'shut-up' look.

"Detective Jowd?" Lynne glanced at him curiously. "What did you put in there?"

"That... is something you'll understand someday, Lynne." He smiled, evasive as usual.

"Right." Memry chimed in all of a sudden. "Detective Jowd, your 'secret weapon' came in very useful for me. I'm so grateful."

"What?" Lynne once again had no idea what was happening. Jowd, however, looked momentarily horrified before his face became more neutral.

"I see," he smiled knowingly, "but I'm not the one you should be thanking."

"You have any clue what they're ooon about?" Cabanela whispered conspiratorily to Lynne, who shook her head.

"Well, anyway," Memry cut in. "I actually have a confession to make."

"Oh yeah?" Lynne raised her eyebrows.

Memry bowed. "I planted a bug on you earlier. That's how they knew about the explosion. I'm sorry."

"Wait, hold up!" These revelations were getting a little much for poor Lynne. "When did you do that? HOW did you do that?!"

Memry rubbed her arm. "When I saw you in the mini-mart and grabbed you... I put it on the inside of your sleeve."

"No way!" Lynne grabbed her head. "Seriously?"

"Well, it saved your bacon." said Jowd. "Or, saved you from _becoming_ bacon."

Lynne simply groaned into her bedsheets.

"Sorry, this is a lot to burden you with when you're so injured, baby," said Cabanela. "We should take our leave, eh?"

"Yes." Jowd nodded. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking a detour. I have to pick some of my things up."

"That was shocking... but... bye," Lynne mumbled.

Memry laughed across from her and Lynne threw a pillow at her.

"Your reactions are so funny to watch," she smirked.

"You'd react like this too if there was a conspiracy everywhere you went!" exclaimed Lynne. "Those blue guys were after me for that long?! How did I not realize?"

"You're just hopeless," replied Memry. "I think you need a personal bodyguard."

"Oh yeah? Are you volunteering for the position?" Lynne teased.

"If you want me to," Memry mumbled. "And... you do owe me a date, remember?"

Lynne flushed as red as her hair. "I did say that, didn't I..."

Memry clambered over next to her, making herself comfortable in Lynne's hospital bed.

"We both don't fit in here," Lynne murmured against her cheek.

"Too bad," Memry's voice was muffled. "You signed up for this. I'm gonna have to keep you safe at all times so you don't do anything dumb."

"You odd girl."

 _I agree,_ thought a doctor passing by their room with a stretcher.

The yoghurt bowl sat lonely and forgotten. (Me too.)

* * *

After successfully shaking off Cabanela, Jowd was making his way to the parking lot. He got inside his car and carefully peeked inside the glovebox. Inside was the lifeless body of a black cat. Jowd waited until the animal started to stir again, meowing to inform him of its arrival. Before long, their souls were connected.

"To think you'd end up liking gloveboxes this much..." Jowd laughed. "And I only put you in Lynne's as insurance. Isn't it too stuffy?"

"It's good. The engine purrs, and it feels nice," said Sissel. "I can't breathe air anyway, so that 'asphyxiation' thing doesn't matter to me."

"Right. I have to say, you did well today." replied Jowd. "Saving not only Lynne but that Memry too..."

"I didn't do anything with Lynne. That was all Memry," the cat shook its head. "She's the one I had to rewind for." (And that hitman with the bad eyes too...)

"The hitman? You rewound time for him too?" Jowd blinked in surprise.

"One of the outcomes ended up killing him." Sissel explained. "I told him I would bring him back to life if he stopped killing people, and he agreed."

"And you think he'll keep his word?"

"No, I didn't, so I told him all about how I crushed him with a wrecking ball the last loop. Then I threatened to haunt him for all eternity, seeing as I'm immortal and all. He was more than happy to oblige."

Jowd tried not to sweat too noticeably as he burst out laughing. "You are one fearsome feline, you know that?"

"They're both behind bars in the end." responded Sissel, indifferent. "Our lady detectives are getting better at surviving for themselves. I mean, Lynne hasn't died a single time these past ten years."

"I'm glad," Jowd nodded as he started up the car. "Fate is so fickle. It's a shame that means you don't get to talk to her."

"I'm fine with that." Sissel waved his tail. "If it means she stays alive."

"You're a good 'un, cat." Jowd reached into the darkness of the glovebox and petted it. "Let's go home. Kamila's waiting."

"Right."

Ten minutes later into a silent drive, Sissel piped up again.

"So, Lynne has a personal bodyguard now. What does that mean?"

"It means someone who'll protect her always."

"Even while asleep? That explains why they were in the same bed."

"They were WHAT?!" Jowd almost crashed the car.


End file.
